The Forever King
by GuardianSoulBlade
Summary: Arthur Blessing was a far from ordinary boy, and when he crosses paths with Robin, the Titan’s life as he know it is going to be turned upsidedown as he tries to protect the boy from mysterious assassins and find the secret of what Arthur carries with him
1. Book One: Chapter One: The Fire

**The Forever King**

_Summery: Arthur Blessing was far from ordinary boy, and when he crosses paths with Robin, the Titan's life as he know it is going to be turned upside-down as he tries to protect the boy from mysterious assassins and find the secret of what Arthur carries with him._

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans or The Forever King by Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy on which this fic is based. Nor do I own any of the source material for anything I write that is based off a book._

**_Book One: The Boy_**

**Chapter One: The Fire**

Robin sat at a computer in Titans Tower, punching in commands to scan the city for any criminal activity. So far, there had been very little going on and he was getting restless. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead, swatting the hair from his masked eyes.

"Hey Cyborg, how's it going?" he asked his robotic friend as he walked into the room.

"Everything's fine," Cyborg answered. "No alarms at all. The city's been quiet for the most part."

"I noticed." Robin sighed. There it was again. The strange restless feeling that had nagged at him for the past few days, it was the middle of summer and he knew that he should enjoy the sunshine and the warm weather. But he wasn't enjoying it, outwardly, yes, but on the inside something was nagging at him and the strange feeling wouldn't leave him.

Robin turned and stared at the clock. It was two in the afternoon, he wanted to go out and do something. _Maybe it's because there hasn't been an alarm all day, _he thought, _that's probably why I'm restless. I need to go to the gym._

He headed for the Tower gym and decided to box and kick the punching bag for a half an hour. After he was finished, he headed to the kitchen to get some water. He poured himself a glass and sat down at the table.

"Hello, Robin, are you well?" a familiar voice asked him.

The Boy Wonder looked up to see Starfire staring at him. He smiled at the red haired Tamaranean. "I'm fine, Starfire. How are things?"

"All is well," she replied. "Thus far there have been no calls to us. It is very quiet today."

"I know," Robin said. "And I'm starting to wonder if everything's okay out there."

Unexpectedly, lights flashed green and alarms began to blare. "Trouble! Titans go!" Robin ordered as he headed for the living room. Robin's eyes quickly scanned the screen as he saw where the distress call had come from.

"Something's going on down town. Cyborg, have you got anything on it?"

"There's a police standoff at an old apartment building set for demolition," Cyborg explained. Suddenly, the communicator on the Titan's robotic arm blared to life.

"Titans, this is an emergency," a police dispatcher's voice said. "A kidnapper has a young man by the name of Jeff Brown inside the building. We fear he may attempt to kill the boy if we go inside, please respond."

"We're on our way," Cyborg said.

"Come on guys, we don't have much time," Robin headed out the door quickly. The other Titans followed. They eventually found themselves downtown at the Pleasant Hill Apartment complex; it had been empty for a month now, scheduled for demolition. An unknown kidnapper had a hostage inside the building; he had contacted police using a stolen cell phone and told them unless they gave him $2,000,000 in cash he would burn the place down with the boy inside. He had given them an hour and now it was up, and the police were starting to wonder if the madman would follow through with his threat.

"Still no sign of him," Guard Number Eight muttered. He spotted the Titans as the T Car pulled to a sudden halt in front of him.

"You guys made it," Guard Number Eight said with a sigh of relief. "He's on the fourth floor of apartment 815. We were hoping you guys would get here in time so you could—"

A huge explosion from inside the building cut off his sentence as flames sprouted from within and shot out towards them. Robin moved without hesitation. "Titans, get inside! Find him! Now!" Raven and Starfire shot into the building as Beast Boy transformed into a horse as Cyborg leapt onto his back.

Robin grabbed an oxygen mask from his utility belt and put it on. He rushed into the building, kicking down the door he made his way inside.

Robin scanned the area for any signs of life. He ran to the stairway and began to climb. He could hear his heart pounding as his breaths came in ragged gasps. He knew that his oxygen supply was dwindling because of the smoke, but it didn't matter. He had to find Jeff Brown.

He came to a suddenly stop as he discovered part of the stairs had collapsed. He removed his grappling hook and shot it into the ceiling. Robin used it to make his way safely to the other side. Now he had only three more flights of stairs. He focused on his goal and forgot everything else. He wasn't going to let anything happen to Jeff Brown. He was going to save him; he couldn't fail him and he wouldn't let himself think otherwise.

He made his way up the last two flights of steps with astonishing speed. Robin moved faster than he had ever moved in his life as he kicked down the door. He moved into the living room and came to a dead stop at the sight before him.

Jeff Brown was tied to a chair, bound with ropes and with a gag in his mouth. Robin looked around, trying to find the perpetrator of this crime. He suddenly spotted him and moved forward. The man stood and stared at him, unmoving.

Robin prepared to attack him when suddenly he heard a voice, "You were the best kid," he looked up, but realized the voice he heard wasn't that of the kidnapper. It was the boy's voice!

Robin turned his head to stare at the boy. But what he saw horrified him beyond description. Instead of a boy, there was a dragon, a scaly hide covering anything that he had thought was a human being; surely he was hallucinating. He turned his gaze back on the madman and prepared to attack.

"You're the best there is, and that's why you fail!"

There was a loud noise and Robin was thrown backwards. He hit the floor hard and staggered to his feet. He ran toward the monster still trapped in the chair and reached out, grasping the ropes and ignoring the images before his eyes.

Suddenly, his vision blurred and he saw Jeff Brown before him. He quickly removed the gag, but he knew it was too late. He had taken too long and the boy was dead from asphyxiation.

_NO! _His mind kept screaming. _No, no, no, no, no! _He leaned into get a better look at the boy. He saw the red hair, messy and disheveled. The dead boy's eyes were open and fixed on him. Pale, blue terrified eyes that pleaded with him to be rescued, but he was gone.

Robin untied the body and scooped it up in his arms. He began to carry it out of the building. He moved as fast as he could, sprinting down the hallway until he made his way down to the bottom floor. He ran out the door just as the building collapsed.

"Dude! Is he—?" Beast Boy began.

"He's dead," Robin said in a haggard, exhausted voice. "I was too late."

"Robin, I am sorry," Starfire said, tears leaking from her eyes.

"We have to tell the family," Raven said quietly.

"I know," Robin looked at the burning building. "I'll tell them myself."

"This isn't going to look good for us, you know," Cyborg added. "The city officials are going to start asking if we can do our job."

"They can blame me for what happened, it wasn't your fault," Robin felt the grief settle on him like a weight. "It's my fault."

_And I'll never forgive myself, _Robin thought. He walked over to the family who had just come running up.

"Robin! Robin!" the mother shouted. "Our son, Jeff, is he—?" she asked.

"No," Robin croaked out, his throat suddenly felt dry. "He's dead, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Tears slid down his face as he gently handed the mother the body of her son. He felt it, the same numb feeling he had felt when he had lost his parents. That paralyzing ache he knew would never go away.

He gazed for one last time at the boy's wide-eyed face. Robin would never forget the pale blue eyes pleading for him to be rescued, or the boy's bright red hair that dangled limply from his shoulders.

Robin felt the tears come as he thought, as he would think for many months afterward; _you're the best there is, kid. And that's why you fail._

_

* * *

_

It was a soggy, rainy Sunday afternoon when they buried Jeff Brown in the Jump City Cemetery. The Titans were there in full uniform. Starfire was in tears and Robin had wrapped an arm around her in a vain attempt to bring her some comfort. But all he could feel was that cold, numb sensation.

He watched as the preacher prayed a prayer and said a few words about the murder victim. Robin felt the grief of the loss just like the family did, but something was different. He couldn't place his finger on what it was, but there was something different about the whole situation, but he didn't know what it was.

The last words he heard before the funeral was finished were, "May his soul find peace in Heaven with Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior until the resurrection of the dead."

The crowd responded with a respectful "Amen" and they buried the casket in the ground. Soft earth covered the grave as the tombstone read:

Jeff Brown, the boy whose soul soared with angels and loved all who knew him.

He watched as the crowd dissipated and climbed into the front seat of the T Car without a word. The others followed him in silence. Cyborg drove them back to the Tower and they all went inside. Life would go on for the others, but for Robin it seemed as if his life had stopped completely.

The world no longer moved, he felt helpless; how was he supposed to protect a city if he couldn't stop a madman from murdering a child. The days crawled by, slowly, painfully, time slipped past him. Robin began to shut himself up in the crime lab. Even Starfire saw less and less of him; he no longer talked, at least not outside of missions, and an occasional "good morning" or "how are things going?"

Even Beast Boy had lost some of his rambunctious antics when he saw the change in their leader. He still played videogames, but he joked less and became quieter. Raven, well not much of Raven's disposition changed, except she meditated more, hoping her mental connection with Robin would reveal what the source of his troubles were. There was nothing he would tell her, and she didn't feel inclined to ask.

Cyborg and Starfire were the two Titans who virtually remained as they were, Starfire was still cheerful and happy, although she knew it was a mask to hide her concern for their leader, and Cyborg was still as he always was, though he too like Starfire, worried about Robin.

Life went on, as usual. The papers stopped questioning Robin's leadership abilities, the tabloids would stop berating him, and gradually the story of the boy Jeff Brown who died in a fire at the hands of a madman would fade from memory. But not for Robin, he would always remember the strange vision of the dragon, the scales and the voice. He would always see the perpetrator explode before his eyes in his worst nightmares, and he would wake up screaming as he always did. It would be six months before Robin would finally snap out of his brooding state. And the things that would follow would change him forever.


	2. Chapter Two: The Prisoner

**Chapter Two: The Prisoner**

There is a place somewhere in an insignificant part of Limington England called Maplebrook Hospital. Maplebrook Hospital wasn't a place of healing, it was an insane asylum, not nearly as notorious as Arkham, but infamous to the locals as a Tower of madness and insanity.

Deep within the bowels of the madhouse there was a man. He was an occupant of the asylum just like all the rest, but he was different. He had no name, or so he claimed when he was arrested for murdering a woman whose body was found encased a beautiful "sculpture" when it was being shipped from somewhere on the other side of the world to the New York City Museum of Modern Art, and had not been signed by the sculptor.

The police had tracked him down, and when questioned, he had immediately, without denial, confessed to the murder charge. He had made no attempt to defend himself, and was strangely cooperative with the authorities, with the exception that he wouldn't give them his name.

The young man was known as "Mr. X", for they had no name to give him. He resided in solitary confinement in the lowest part of the tower. He had, on his first day in the asylum, strangled an orderly to death and been moved down to the lowest level of the tower. Despite this, Mr. X remained a model prisoner, only requesting reading materials and things of that nature. All of which had to be approved of by the main psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Coles.

Dr. Coles was surprised at first by Mr. X's requests; he was astonished a cold-hearted killer could be so well educated. The man's education was in itself a wonder. He spoke eight languages fluently, and knew enough of twelve more to get by with them; he could speak ancient Greek, Old and Middle English.

He disliked modern technology and didn't know how to use a washing machine or drive a car; he could use a telephone, but usually left it hanging if it was on a line after a conversation. Dr. Coles would often visit him and doctor and patient would always play chess. It was how they began all their visits.

"Have you ever been married?" Dr. Coles asked Mr. X as they played a particularly interesting game of chess. His patient made no reaction, as if he hadn't even heard him. "Have you ever made love?" he tried again. Still no response, surely he would be insulted by such a private question, but Mr. X just moved a pawn up a square and looked at him.

Dr. Coles moved a knight to take out Mr. X's rook. He picked up the piece and placed it on the table. Mr. X noticed this and moved a bishop to take out Dr. Cole's pawn. He noticed the psychiatrist had foolishly forgotten to take an unprotected knight when he had the chance. Dr. Coles noticed that his opponent did not move to protect his piece, it seemed he rather enjoyed taunting him with it.

To Dr. Coles astonishment the man answered, "Yes."

The psychiatrist dropped his piece on the floor. "Yes. Yes to what?"

"Have I ever made love," the man replied. "The answer is yes, a hundred times or more, but I don't remember the women or their names."

"I see. When was the last time you were married?" Dr. Coles asked.

"Oh, hmm…" the man said, looking thoughtful. "No, never have been, this was all a long, long time ago."

"Do you have children?" Dr. Coles asked.

The man shrugged. "I am under no such social obligations to anyone. I have no family. Such things do not matter."

The doctor exhaled. Sometimes he had to remind himself that these patients were insane. "I see," Dr. Coles said.

"By the way, I have a name," the man said.

Dr. Coles looked thoughtful. "What is it?"

"Malchior," said the man, like he was offering him a gift.

"Is that your first name, Mr. Malchior?"

"That is my entire name, as it has been for a millennium."

The doctor knew he had stumbled on the best find of his career. If he could get this man to open up and talk to him, he knew his place in the history of Maplebrook Hospital would be secured. He could make a name for himself and get away from the loony's that inhabited the building. He could move up in his profession.

"Is there any reason you've decided to speak to me?" Dr. Coles asked.

"I want another cell," Malchior said. "There are rats down here and I have a particular dislike of the things."

"Do they frighten you—?"

"Don't play psychiatrists with me," Malchior hissed. He stretched his fingers out as if to strangle the doctor. Coles visibly cringed on the other side of the table and was thankful for the straitjacket. Malchior's intensity frightened him.

"Tell me, Doctor, do I seem that dangerous to you? Am I such a threat in your opinion that I must be locked away like this?"

"Well—In my opinion, you don't deserve to be down here. I'll see what I can do," the doctor said.

"My name is of value to you, Dr. Coles. You are ambitious; I can see that, since I'm going to be here for the rest of my life, I'll tell you what you want to know. My childhood, the murders, anything you want to know, if you will get me a better room."

"I'll have to take it up with the board—"

"I will tell you nothing if you take it up with a committee or a board."

"But according to your file—"

"Tell me, Doctor, do I seem that dangerous to you? Am I such a threat in your opinion that I must be locked away like this?"

"I want you to know, since I'm going to be in here for the rest of my life, I've decided out of the goodness of my heart to tell you anything you wish to know about me. My childhood, my life, the murders, but in order to do that I want a better room, up on one of the higher floors."

"Well—In my opinion, you don't deserve to be down here. I'll see what I can do," the doctor said. They continued their game of chess, which to no surprise to the doctor, Malchior won in ten minutes. He always won by letting the doctor get by with silly moves and small mistakes, and then he would sweep in and turn the tide in an elegant, sweeping endgame.

The doctor rose up and left the cell; he didn't notice the guard who opened the door. He passed him by without a thought. If Dr. Cole had peered closely he would have noticed the two men had the same eyes.

The man said nothing as the doctor left. He walked in and handed Malchior a book. Malchior nodded at the guard and opened the book. He quickly scanned the pages. No one noticed there were marks under the Old English runes on the pages. He gazed upon the pages and smiled. He knew what he was reading. If the other guards had been more thorough they would have noticed certain symbols of the alphabet formed a message in Latin:

All is in place,  
Bless your name.

It had taken him four years to receive the message. The time had come. He handed it back to his guard. Malchior nodded at the man. The man returned it but it resembled a bow.

* * *

The sunshine was warm and bright as Robin walked through the streets of Jump City with his friends. He had become very quiet since the fire and didn't talk much anymore.

Robin's eyes constantly scanned the streets beneath his mask. He saw a boy making his way towards an old man. A hand slipped inside a pocket faster than the eye could blink. Immediately, Robin broke away from the others and ran after the boy. He grabbed his grappling hook from his utility belt and latched onto a nearby building. Quickly he sailed through the air, knocking the boy off his feet, sending him onto the pavement.

Robin quickly pulled out a pair of wing-shaped cuffs and slapped them on the boy's wrists. He pulled the pickpocket to his feet and turned to Cyborg as the others came running up. "Take him to the station," he said flatly. Cyborg nodded and hustled him off.

Robin picked up the wallet and looked at the driver's license. "Bertram Taliesin" it read. Robin made his way back to the elderly man who was searching his pockets for his misplaced wallet.

"Excuse me sir, but I think this is yours," Robin placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "A boy tried to steal this from you, uh," he remembered the name from the license, "Mr. Taliesin."

"Oh, thank you young man," the elderly man turned to face him. "Ah, Robin is it? I am very grateful for your help."

"You're welcome," Robin said. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Well, I could use some help with directions," Taliesin said. "I'm looking for a building, channel 23, I think. I've purchased some tickets to see the Quiz Monkey."

"You actually like that show?" Beast Boy interrupted. "I didn't think well, that people your age liked that kind of stuff."

"Oh, we like lot's of things uh—"

"Beast Boy, my name's Beast Boy, Mr. Taliesin." The green Titan shook his hand.

"Well, take the road down Main Street and it's that tall high rise with the big Channel 23 logo on the front," Robin directed.

"Oh, thank you, well, I was supposed to meet a group of some of my friends here but I guess they're not showing up. Say, how would you kids like to take these tickets? I can't sell them so I might as well give them away."

"But you paid for all of those," Robin protested.

"Yes, yes, but it won't do me any good if I have to throw them away," Taliesin insisted. "Please, take them."

"Well, uh, thank you," Robin said taking the tickets, mainly to humor the old man more than anything. He watched Taliesin walk off without another word.

"Well, I guess we better get going," Robin sighed.

"You're kidding, we're actually going to see the show," Raven groaned.

"It wont' be that bad, Raven," Beast Boy said. "Remember Star won a car on that show."

"Yeah but that was when Control Freak took over the TV."

"We should go because the man Taliesin gave us the tickets," Starfire said.

"Okay, let's go get Cyborg first." Robin found Cyborg at the police station and explained what happened. Cyborg was very interested because, much to Robin's surprise, he too enjoyed watching the Quiz Monkey.

They headed down the street to the building and took elevator to the eighth floor and walked down to studio 23. They handed the ticket taker their tickets and took their seats.

"Well, welcome to the world famous game show, The Quiz Monkey!" The host said, "Today if one contestant can answer four questions, let's show 'em what we have as our grand prize," a lady pulled an enormous curtain, revealing an enormous screen with a beautiful scene of a meadow and castles. "An all expenses paid two week trip to London!"

The host smiled. "And now, to find our lucky contestant," he rummaged through the numbers of the seats. "Our lucky contestant is…Number 42!"

Robin groaned aloud as he looked down at the number on his seat, it was 42. The host in an orange suit came up and pulled him onto the stage. "Hey, I remember you, Robin isn't it?"

"Yes sir, it is," Robin answered.

"Well, you know the rules, answer these questions and you get a fabulous prize, miss we put you in the cage with the Quiz Monkey."

"Okay, you ready Robin?" The man smiled.

The Titan's leader gulped. "Might as well get it over with."

"Okay, according to Sir Thomas Mallory, who was the knight who found the Holy Grail and died with it in his possession?"

"Uh," Robin began, but when he tried to think, he opened his mouth and said to his own astonishment. "Galahad."

"That is correct! Well done! How did you know that?" the host asked.

"I'm not sure, I read _Le Morte D'Arthur_ but that was a long time ago."

"You've obviously kept some of that information somewhere in that clever head of yours. Next question."

"What was the epidemic that raged through Britain before the Black Plague?" the host asked.

"The…. the Yellow Plague," Robin answered, his voice sounded strange, as if it weren't his own. An image suddenly flashed through his mind. He saw a father and a mother lying on a bed, burning with fever. He shook his head, thiis could be_ his _memory, his parents died when they were murdered during their acrobatic act. These were the memories of…someone else.

"What was the medieval name for Scotland?" the host asked.

"Albania," the word just spilled out of his mouth. He had no idea where the answers were coming from. He just _knew._

"Okay, Robin, one last question, what was the legendary silk-like substance that magically appeared and was connected with extraordinary events?"

"I…I don't…" Robin's voice trailed off. In his mind's eye he could see a beautiful stained glass window, there was something floating in the air, a gold cup. It was covered in a white silky substance…

"Samite," he whispered.

"Did you just say Samite, son?" the host asked.

"Yes," Robin whispered. "It was Samite."

"That is correct!" the host said. "You've just won a two week trip to London!"

Starfire jumped up and flew over to him on the stage. "You are the winner!" she exclaimed.

"Robin that was incredible!" Cyborg smiled, slapping him on the back.

"Dude, how did you know what the answers were?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't know, I really don't know," Robin answered.

"When are you going to take this trip?" Raven asked.

"Next summer, it's too cold now." Robin smiled. He wondered how he knew the answers, and what was that memory? He kept the happy grin on his face while his mind was filled with unanwered questions.


	3. Chapter Three: Arthur Blessing

**Chapter Three: Arthur Blessing **

Arthur Blessing hurried home from school, his shoes sloshing through mud puddles from the rain the previous evening. He was going to see Mr. Goldberg, who lived in an apartment that was near his house. He lived with his Aunt Emily; his mother had died a long time ago.

He swatted his red hair out of his face and looked down to tie his shoe. He saw something lying in the street. It looked like an ash tray. He finished tying his shoe and reached down to pick it up.

It looked like cup, or an ash tray, Arthur couldn't decide which. The cup was, warm, in his hands. It made him feel…peaceful, content, and happy. He never knew that he could feel this way because of a simple, metal cup. He tucked it into coat and headed to his Aunt's apartment, he'd tell her he was going to see Mr. Goldberg, and then he would visit the kindly old man who had befriended him.

"Hello Aunt Emily," he greeted. "How was your day?"

"Fine Arthur, just fine," his aunt told him. "Oh, a letter came for you today." Emily handed him the letter. Arthur was surprised. He usually didn't receive letters and it wasn't his birthday.

"A letter for me, hmm," Arthur opened it and began to read.

_Dear Sir, _

_We regret to inform you of the death of Mr. Adrian Lankly and as stated in his last will and testament, he has bequeathed to Arthur Blessing his estate and castle located on Lakeshire Tor._

_Sighed,_

_Morrison and Miller __Law Firm_

"Aunt Emily, look! I've inherited a castle!" the boy showed her the letter. Emily read it in disbelief.

"Do you know who Mr. Lankly is?"

Emily shook her head.

"But Aunt Emily, it's a _castle_," he pleaded.

"We don't have time Arthur, maybe when I can get vacation time."

"Okay," Arthur conceded. Still, he'd inherited a castle. Who'd believe it? He remembered the cup and pulled it out from inside his coat.

"Look what I found Aunt Emily; it's a cup, right?" Arthur held it out to her. Emily took it in her hands. The cup seemed to hum in her hands and it felt…strangely comforting. What was it? There was something special about it. Being a scientist, she was curious about it and she wanted to study it.

"It looks like an ash tray. Arthur, let me see it," Emily told him, reaching for the cup.

"No!" he protested. "It's mine, I found it; it belongs to me!"

"I'm not going to keep it, I just want to study it," Emily replied. She took it from him and he seemed hesitant to give it to her.

Emily took the dup and felt it in her hands. It looked ordinary enough, but there was something about it, something she couldn't quite place. She placed it under her microscope and began examining the metal cup.

She stared at the lens in shock as she examined the cup's cellular structure. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. The cells in the cup were replicating, as if the cup itself was a living object. That was impossible! She began taking notes as fast as she could. This cup could be the find of the century. The idea that an object could live opened up doors of endless possibilities for scientific uses; but what could it do, and why was it alive?

"Aunt Emily, can I have it back? I want to go show it to Mr. Goldberg."

Emily handed it to him, "Okay, but bring it back soon. I want to look at it again."

"But you said it was just an ash tray," Arthur looked at her. "I'll be back in a little bit. I want to ask Mr. Goldberg what he thinks it is."

Arthur took the dup and headed over to Mr. Goldberg's apartment. Emily continued to study her notes while wondering what she should do next. She could show it to some of her colleagues at work, but she was sure her nephew wouldn't give it up even if she asked him politely.

Emily began examining her notes and writing down various formulas, each having to do with the materials make-up of the cup Arthur had found. She deduced from her calculations that the cup was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Whatever it was, it wasn't created anywhere on earth. Nothing else like it existed in the known universe.

This cup was turning into the find of the new millennium. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She got up, setting her papers on the counter. She walked over to the door and opened it.

Emily opened her door to see two men in suits standing outside. One man held up a badge.

"F.B.I.," the man said. Emily was stunned. What was going on? Had she done something wrong?

Before she could react, the man pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. He fired. That was the last thing Emily vividly remembered before she found herself on the floor, her body racked with pain.

_Arthur, please, _Emily thought. _Don't come home._

_

* * *

_

Dr. Coles walked back into Malchior's cell, carrying a notebook and a pencil. 

He'd thought it over and decided that interviewing Mr. Malchior was worth the risk of getting in trouble with the Maplebroook committee board. With the information he would learn from this man he would write a book that would make him millions of dollars. Dr. Coles sat across from Malchior who smirked at the smug doctor not saying a word.

"So Dr. Coles, it seems you finally listened to reason and want to hear my life story," Malchior smiled. "What would you like to know?"

"When were your born?" Dr. Coles began.

"A long, long time ago…so long ago, I don't' remember."

"Where were you born?"

"In Medea, in the capital city of Ecbatana," Malchior replied.

"What did you do there?" Dr. Coles continued writing down his notes. He was beginning to wonder if Malchior was truly crazy. He'd get to the good stuff later, like the murders he had committed.

"I was a magician, an astrologer, if you will," Malchior said, he was growing tired of playing games. Dr. Coles had been amusing for awhile, but now he was becoming too curious for his own good. Malchior did not want this psychiatrist poking his nose into his business, lest he learn his secrets.

"Something wrong, Mr. Malchior?" Dr. Coles asked.

"I'm rather uncomfortable, if you would take the straightjacket off, it would be easier for me to think," Malchior said.

"But your file says—" the doctor protested.

"Do you think I'm dangerous?" the prisoner asked.

"But your—"

"Doctor, do _you _think I'm dangerous?" Malchior repeated his question.

"Well—I don't think so," Dr. Coles admitted.

"Dr. Coles, please, a little dignity," Malchior pleaded.

Dr. Coles undid the restraints on Malchior's writs and arms, and then he took of the cumbersome straightjacket. Malchior stood up, stretched his arms, and sighed, relieved.

"Ah, thank you Dr. Coles," Malchior told the doctor. Without warning, Malchior stretched out his long fingers and grabbed Dr. Coles by the neck, he began squeezing, throttling him with horrific ease as the Doctor's eyes widened in shock. He slammed Dr. Coles' head into his desk and blood and brain matter leaked out from a wound that formed there.

Malchior turned and called to the guard. "Get the secretary."

The guard nodded and walked over to the door. "Doctor wants to see you," he said.

The blonde secretary walked in. "Doctor Coles, what is it?"She gasped in shock as she saw Dr. Coles' dead body lying hunched over on his desk. Before she could scream, Malchior grabbed her from behind and took her pretty head in his hands. She let out a high pitched squeak as she struggled to breathe. He twisted her neck until it snapped, her head lolled over as spittle leaked out the side of her mouth and onto his hand. He dropped her with a cry of disgust.

"Clean this," he ordered the guard, holding his hand out as if to be kissed. The guard took out a handkerchief and wiped the spit off his hand. They walked toward the door. The guard looked up in astonishment as he saw the prisoner. The guard who was with Malchior quickly struck the man across the back of the head with the butt of his pistol. The man slumped to the floor. He looked as if he were napping.

They walked out to a waiting car and Malchior climbed into the backseat. "Have you found it?" he asked his diver.

"No, my lord, but we will soon, we have tracked its location to a place in the United States," the man replied.

"And where in this United States, is it?"

"A place called New York City."

* * *

Arthur Blessing stood inside Mr. Goldberg's apartment, he shoed his neighbor his new found treasure with pride. "What do you think it is Mr. Goldberg?"

"It looks like an ash tray," the man replied.

"Do you like it?" Arthur asked.

"It's nice," Mr. Goldberg told him. "It's almost time for dinner. You should be getting back to your aunt's house."

"But I just got here!" Arthur said. "Well, do you think the cup's worth something, Mr. Goldberg?"

"Maybe, wouldn't know, it makes a nice decoration though," Mr. Goldberg said. "Well goodbye Arthur, I have things to do."

Arthur walked back to his apartment. He noticed the door was open. Something was wrong, very wrong. Aunt Emily didn't just leave the door open. He walked inside and saw Emily lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

"Aunt Emily!" Arthur rushed over to her. He quickly grabbed the phone and dialed the police.

"Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?" The operator asked.

"Hello, my aunt has been shot," Arthur was surprisingly calm. He placed his cup into her hands, not quite understanding why he was doing so. Suddenly, he saw the color return to her ashen face and he noticed that the wound in her stomach had disappeared.

"Excuse me, what is your emergency?" The operator repeated.

"Nothing, never mind. She's fine now," Arthur quickly hung up the phone.

"Arthur?" Emily asked her nephew. She glanced around. "My notes, the men took them!"

"What men Aunt Emily?" Arthur asked.

"The men who shot me," Emily replied. "They took my notes! What did they want?"

"The cup. They wanted the cup. That's why they shot you," Arthur told her. He went over and pulled out a knife and held it up.

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Emily asked, panicked.

"Trust me, Emily," Arthur said with an authority beyond his years. He took the knife and slit his finger. Emily watched in horror as blood dripped from his finger. He then took the cup and placed it against the cup. She saw that the wound was completely healed.

"What are we supposed to do?" Emily asked.

"We need to get out of her," Arthur told her.

"But where will we go?" she asked.

"My castle, we could go there," he suggested.

"But there probably isn't any castle there," she told him. "It's probably just a bunch of rocks."

"Still, we might be safer there."

"Okay," she conceded. They packed their bags quickly and began walking toward her car. Arthur noticed that there was a man lying on the ground. It was Mr. Goldberg!

"Sir, what happened?" Arthur asked. He stared down at Mr. Goldberg's dead body.

"It looks like a suicide. I think he jumped off the balcony," the officer said.

"I didn't think he was depressed or anything," Arthur said quietly. "Goodbye Mr. Goldberg." The boy turned away from his deceased friend.

"Let's go, Arthur," Emily urged him away. Arthur followed her. She began making her way toward the airport. She decided that going to see Arthur's castle was the perfect way for them to hide from their pursuers and still have a legitimate reason for being in Europe. She just hoped she could keep her nephew safe from the men who were after his mysterious cup.

* * *

It was early June when Robin began packing his bags for his trip to London he had won during his appearance on "The Quiz Monkey". He still didn't understand how he could have known the answers to the host's questions. Nor did he understand the strange dreams that he had soon after. They were all of war and death and slaughter, but they were set in the medieval time period and they didn't make any sense at all.

Robin sighed as he put another one of his Robin uniforms into the suitcase. He was ready to go. He'd try to make the best of this trip and have fun, like they had after they had taken down Brushogun in Tokyo.

"Hey Robin, you ready to go to London?" Beast Boy asked excitedly. "I can't believe it's summer already. Where'd the time go, dude?"

"I know Beast Boy, I'm going to just try to relax on this trip, I don't know why, but I've been under a lot of stress lately."

"You've probably been working too much, this trip'll do you some good," Beast Boy laughed.

"Robin, you are ready for the trip to London?" Starfire asked.

"I'm ready to go," Raven said, her bag was packed. She wouldn't need much. Just a few changes of clothes and some herbal tea for her.

Cyborg brought some of his spare parts and a charger to recharge himself when he needed it. "Well, I'm ready; I'm really looking forward to this. I really need a break."

"Come one let's go," Robin said. Cyborg pulled up the T Car and they drove to the airport and used the tickets Robin had won to board the airplane bound for London.

Robin stared out the window and fixed his eyes on the clouds. His mind with restless and the dreams still plagued him. What did they mean? And why were they all set in the middle ages?

"I'm gonna try to get some sleep," Robin said to the others.

"Rest well Robin," Starfire told him. "You have been very stressed lately. You need the sleep."

"Thanks Star," Robin smiled. "Wake me up when the movie starts. I've wanted to see this one for quite some time."

Robin closed his eyes and drifted into a restless sleep.

_He stared as a small metal cup appeared before his eyes. It was beautiful, in a simplistic yet elegant way. His hand reached out to take it. He held it in his hands. _

_"What are you going to do with it?" a voice asked. "Are you going to keep it?"_

_"No, it's not mine. I don't have the right to keep it. It belongs to the king."_

_"Good. Then you won't mind if _I_ take it."_

_"What?"_

Robin awoke with a start as someone called his name. "What?" he asked.

"The movie's starting," Beast Boy told him.

"Good. Thanks for waking me up," he blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes and turned his attention to the screen. He really needed a distraction. These dreams were starting to get to him and he was going to figure out why he was having them and what they meant.


End file.
